Fallen from the Branch
by EnigmaticSentinel
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke made a decision that will effect both their villages. Now they run away as fugitives as they discover their new found relationship. (Female Sasuke) NarutoXSasuke(Fem) [Note]- Some characters are subject to be different genders and sometimes OOC. I do not own Naruto the franchise. The picture belongs to me.
1. New Start

…

**Fallen from the Branch**

**Naruto Fanfic**

**By EnigmaticSentinel**

* * *

Memories: something that is on the mind of a certain teenage boy. The good times he had enjoyed; the hardships that he had to endure. Naruto Uzumaki kept rolling around in bed, vainly trying to get rid of the discomfort within.

There was a figure looking over him as he slept. She had a solemn expression as she watch the boy toss and turn. She let out a sigh as she sipped her green tea which had been at just the right temperature.

As Naruto was sleeping, a particular dream had plagued him throughout the night. How he first met Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

**Four Years Ago**

(Konohagakure Ninja Academy)

Many youths attend the school with hopes and dreams. Only a fraction of them would be able to live them while others would have to walk away forever with shattered dreams. Despite all the odds, despite all his failures, there stood Uzumaki Naruto. Some pitied him while the majority down right hated him. The underdog managed to stay in the classes despite his poor ninjutsu's, his subpar taijutsu, and non-existent genjutsu skills. The instructors are left baffled about how he performed and wondered why they still kept him there. But his no quit attitude is what keeps him there.

As he performed a simple clone jutsu, a deformed figure stood next to him. He knew what would happen next.

"YOU FAILED!"

His confident demeanor did a 180 as he walked back to the desk with his head held low. It seemed like the whole student body mocked him. As he tries to tune out the voices of discouragement, he looked at one voiceless student as she sits alone. For just a brief second, he found himself admiring the beauty of the raven haired girl. She then walks up out of the chair and towards the unsuspecting blonde boy.

"Naruto, wake up."

* * *

**Present Day**

The blonde teenager almost bolted off the mattress, not expecting to hear the voice that awoke him. He rubs his head as he looked up to the voice that woke him up. Naruto almost dismissed the girl's presence as an illusion until she hands him breakfast. He was pleasantly surprised that she was in-fact very much real and there with him.

"Sasuke…"

The raven haired girl gave him an almost emotionless look except for the fact that Naruto saw some glimmer of light in her dark blue eyes.

"Just eat the food I made you…" She said with a slight annoyance but with a hint of gentleness.

They both appear to be in some kind of cave with two torches keeping the light inside. The blond shinobi devoured the udon noodles before him.

_Uh, this ain't ramen, but it's definitely better than nothing._

Though he eagerly consumed the food given to him; he was still drained from what happened a couple days ago. He looked into the raven's eyes, seeing some kind of regret.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"You're an idiot. Shut up", she said with annoyance.

"Cut me some slack you bastard, I did a lot just to get this far."

Naruto sat up from the bed and looked down groggily. Sasuke took the bowl and utensils from Naruto and placed them in a backpack of some sort.

"You're really selfish Naruto, I thought I'd let you know that."

"You're one to talk! You left the friggen village just so you can kill your brother Itachi!"

"Because I wanted justice! You would just get in the way every time I wanted to be stronger!"

Those words stung the blond teenager. He never wanted any of this to happen. He never intended to get in the way of her goal. It was never the same for Naruto after Sasuke left.

"What about that dream you were loud and proud about? Why don't you go back to Kakashi-sensei , Sakurai, and that other girl?"

The sole Uchiha turned around to face the sole Uzumaki. She sounded like she lacked any form of joy in her voice.

"Do you even realize how important you are to me? Even after all those things I did and all the things I said to you?"

Sasuke thought back to when she fought Naruto at the Valley of the End and the fight that took place.

The violent backlash from Chidori and Rasengan clashing together forced the two ninja back. They both skidded across the water as they used their chakra to stay afloat on the water. The kunoichi looked into the eyes of the determined shinobi. His blue eyes started to turn red as it was filled with his passion and anger. She felt sadness and pity for the boy.

"I love you! I refuse to go back home without you!"

_Idiot, why would you even love someone like me? I never wanted to hurt you._

"I threw away everything that mattered to me. All the people that were close to me like family, my dream of becoming Hokage, I sacrificed so you can let me be with you."

Naruto had put on a fake smile to hide the pain of what he had to do to get here; just so he could be there for her. Sasuke felt her bowels constrict knowing that this experience was taxing on Naruto. She knew it wasn't hard for her to leave Orochimaru; as she knew that he was just going to use her as just another vessel to contain his putrid soul in. But that paled in comparison to what Naruto did. They were now both on the run from the people and organizations they were once affiliated with.

"We're going to kill Itachi together. Right Sasuke?"

_He's never going to let me be. No matter how much I push him away._

"Yes."

Time had passed for a couple of hours. Naruto had nothing to do as he mopes around the cave.

"Man, this is so boring! Isn't there anything to do around here?"

Sasuke was annoyed by Naruto's boredom, but she felt relieved when there was a hint of the fun loving ramen eating boy was coming out of his depressing state.

"No."

The blond shinobi watches the Uchiha kunoichi lie against the jagged walls of the cave sipping her tea.

"You know what Sasuke, what the hell do you even do for fun? All I see you do is mope around as if you as if you were an unsatisfied middle aged man who misses his youthful days."

_That was quite random…_

"Naruto, I don't like my time wasted. Fun is something that has no meaning to me."

"Are you serious? Come on, I'm sure there's something that you enjoy doing."

The raven looked thoughtful for a minute, but didn't answer to keep her pride intact. The blond shinobi tilted his head slightly. Instead of his innocent cheery grin on his face, it was replaced with a sleazier grimace. She tried her best not to show her embarrassment and tried her hardest not to blush. Sasuke knew that Naruto had aged and matured, somewhat. He was now taller than the Uchiha girl and gained more muscles on his pubescent body.

"Anyway, we have to leave for the Hidden Waterfall Village. We don't have a lot of supplies so don't waste what we barely have."

"But Sasukeeeeeeee, how do you expect me to survive without ramennnnnnnnnnn?"

"Moron, we're broke and on the run. I don't care about your food troubles."

The Uchiha kunoichi places one of the rucksacks behind her back, motioning for Naruto to pick up his.

"Ugh, about time we moved from this place!"

Though Sasuke's Uchiha pride prevents her from verbally admitting it, she actually loves his energetic and carefree attitude. She missed Naruto the whole time she was away from him; but her mission was more important to her and still is.

* * *

The two ninja walked outside the cave into the forest. The canopy of the forest let in a limited amount of light into the forest, making it easier on their eyes. Naruto watches Sasuke activate her Sharingan. She uses her Kekkei Genkai to scan for potential threats including squads of patrolling Sound Ninja. They didn't want to waste any time escaping the Land of Sound. It would be bad enough if the Sound Ninja found them and called for more powerful reinforcements.

"Let's go, we don't have all day moron."

"Sure thing, bastard."

They immediately skipped into the branches of the trees in the tall forest at great speed. The Uchiha Kunoichi was traveling at a faster rate than Naruto, who struggles to keep up with her.

_Damn why does she have to be faster than me? _

Sasuke senses another presence approaching her and Naruto; it was a Sound Village patrol.

_Not now!_

Naruto senses it too, as much as he wanted to kick their asses, he knew it was better to run for now. However, they were fast, they were relentless. They eventually caught up as they threw kunais at Sasuke.

"Shit! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Several clones of Naruto appeared in mid-air as one of the clones took the hit from the kunai instead of Sasuke. One of the sound nin faced the Uchiha Kunoichi and released a noised based jutsu out of his mouth. The blast of the high pitch scream tore apart one of the narrow tree bark and sent it collapsing as Sasuke dodges the attack. Both ninja still tried to escape both attackers as they neared the border into the Land of Iron. Naruto did another Kage Bunshin, this time leaving 70 clones to distract the patrol. Although it was a gamble, it prove to pay off as it bought enough time to evade the patrol.

_Haha, I didn't actually think I could fool those suckers!_

They jumped across the now mountainous terrain, hoping that the Sound Ninja will not cross the border into the Land of Iron.

"Wow that was close."

Naruto was gasping for breath while Sasuke barely broke a sweat.

"Are you sure you're able to keep up with me?"

The Uchiha girl grinned at Naruto causing his cheeks to become a little red.

"Uh, yeah, this is nothing!"

With that, the two ninjas headed towards their next destination.

* * *

**End…**

This is my first time making a fan fic of Naruto so tell me what you think and whether I should continue this! Thanks people. =)


	2. Western Winds

…

**Western Winds…**

"D-Dammit b-bastard-d, w-why did you c-choose s-such a cold place?"

Sasuke glared silently at Naruto as his complaint falls on deaf ears. The two ninja continue through the frost covered land towards the Land of Waterfalls. The thick snow slowed them down slightly as they struggle to stay warm. They had 62 kilometers till they got to the border of their destination. Sasuke had no desire to stay in this country for a longer period of time than she had to; she wore clothing that revealed more skin then it should.

The blond shinobi looked at his closest friend; she was shivering violently. Sasuke didn't admit that she was freezing, but she had a very hard time of hiding it. Naruto looked very concerned. Deciding to do what his gut told him to, he went up to the cold girl and put his body next to hers.

"I-I swear Naruto, if you t-touch me…"

"D-don't f-flatter y-yourself…"

They tried their hardest to keep their body heat together to survive the dark, frigid night. It was rather awkward for them to be this close, but it was meant to be if they were to live longer. The temperature was below 30 degrees Celsius in this barren wasteland devoid of any vegetation. Both ninja try to distract themselves from the painful cold air stabbing at their open skin with some heavily forced dialogue.

"W-why do you h-have t-to keep e-e-everything t-to y-yourself?"

Sasuke knew the answer to it. She wasn't exactly an open book. She was quiet most of the time ever since the massacre of her clan. But the Uchiha Kunoichi didn't want her feelings to delude her from doing what was important. The raven just viewed Naruto as another obstacle, even if he was one of her closest friends.

"Y-you n-never s-stop t-talking i-idiot…"

Naruto deeply cared about Sasuke. She was the only one at the Ninja Academy that treated him like a human being (well, other than Iruka-Sensei), even if she was harsh with him at times. Even though he only thought of her as a good friend in the beginning, he started to notice how beautiful she was. He could remember the one day she released all her hair out of her ponytail and let it dance with the warm evening summer wind. Her onyx eyes staring into his cyan eyes; which made the then thirteen year old Naruto's heart skip a beat. There was something about her that captivated the teenage boy that only intensified his curiosity. Just then, as he snapped out his euphoric memory, the blond shinobi notices something in the corner of his eye.

"H-hot spring!" Naruto excitedly exclaimed.

The raven looked surprised as they both approached it. The two ninja's now had to deal with another awkward situation, stripping. They both knew what they had to do without a word being uttered. However, Sasuke needed to break the silence.

"Naruto, if you touch me, if you even look at me, I'll kill you."

"I get it Sasuke, I ain't going to touch you anywhere. Just because I was a student of Ero-Sennin doesn't mean I've turned into a sexual deviant; sheesh."

As they turned their backs to each other, they remain quiet; hoping that the weird feelings go away as their hearts beat in their chests. They wait patiently, but the feeling still remained. Sasuke heard clothing falling onto the stony ground. She was not ready to see a naked Naruto yet. The Uchiha kunoichi gingerly began to remove her Sound Ninja apparel that had her clan's crest sown into it; still feeling fear of the unknown. As the last articles of clothing left her body, Sasuke gently went into the springs. But to her surprise, she wasn't expecting it to be almost uncomfortably hot. It was quite a drastic change from the cold and her body had to adjust after placing her legs into the steaming water.

Naruto had a hard time keeping his composure. He wanted to see Sasuke's more mature, developed female body. He started to think about her breasts and tried to contain his excitement.

_Damn you Ero-Sennin. Now I wanna turn around soo bad…_

Though to be fair, Naruto should blame his natural pubescent body for wanting to break a woman's privacy, not his sensei even though he would probably be ten times worse…

The blond shinobi heard the water splash slightly as the waves lightly brushed against his body. Both ninja felt vulnerable being in the soothing water; they could easily be snuffed out by potential enemies that lurk. But in this case, they seem to be aware that they were a greater danger to themselves than any outside force can be at this very moment. But, little did Naruto know that Sasuke was having similar struggles…

Sasuke knew better not to turn around. It was risky that she is a girl and Naruto's a boy and they're both in the same bath. Although she would never admit it vocally, she remarks on how Naruto had grown much stronger and bigger since the Valley of the End. The raven slowly started to drift out of consciousness as she starts to dream.

* * *

**1 Week Ago…**

The refuge that she had taken from Orochimaru was starting to crumble. The Uchiha knew that ninjas from Konoha were responsible for destroying their hideout. The ex-Konoha ninja stepped out and was in the sunlight; exposing herself to the intruders. She saw her former teammates and another ninja; probably her replacement. She saw him, the boy she reluctantly left broken hearted. Sasuke didn't want to see him here, but she had no other choice. The last Uchiha leapt towards the sole Uzumaki. Sasuke would've sworn he would have some kind of angry speech on how she left and broke his heart, but instead, he had a calm and content look in his deep blue eyes.

She was frightened, not concerned with whether she would win against him in battle or if she would fail in her attempt to avenge her clan, but the mere fact that Naruto may have became apathetic towards her. Sasuke tried to keep her façade up, but she was ready to cry. She never wanted to admit it, but she wanted to stay with him. But Sasuke decided to reject her feelings towards the boy. Her feelings would be nothing more than avarice shunning the justice she was more than willing to fulfill. Before a single tear formed on Sasuke's gentle face, a voice came out of the now older boy. Words that she would never expect Naruto to utter in his entire existence.

"Let's run away together."

Her straight face contorted into one of shock, as the looks of Naruto's teammates had been of total disbelief. The raven couldn't contain the water swelling up in her eyes as they begin to pour.

_Why Naruto? You idiot, your throwing your dreams away! Why would you do this for me, someone who you placed your trust in and destroyed it? I've done nothing but cause you pain…_

"Let's go, grab my hand."

The raven haired girl didn't grab his hand initially; thinking this was a ploy that Konoha would use to capture her. But she looked into Naruto's face; who looked absolutely sincere about what he had spoken. Her shaky hand, without thought, found its way into the blond teenager's grasp. It was as if they teleported somewhere else.

* * *

"Hey, you okay over there Sasuke?"

A voice jolts the drowsy kunoichi awake. Her body slumped against a bolder that divided the humid water into two ponds. To halt Naruto from having further concerned about her well-being, she shouted back.

"Yeah."

The snow storm dissipated after its long duration. Her eyes looked up into the sky; now exposing the beauty of the cosmos. She just wanted to let everything escape from her mind to enjoy whatever brief solace that's within grasp. In that moment, she let go of any resentment towards people that have done her wrong, she let go of her personal obligations that had remained with being the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and the worry of Orochimaru's lust towards her body. Sasuke truly felt peace and welcomed it, even if it would be short lived.

On the other side of the stone barrier, a blond teenager thought about the girl that was parallel to him. He wondered what was on her mind. Naruto was always curious, especially when it was about his closest friends. The sudden thought pained him. He just remembered that he had done something that went against everything he stood for. He abandoned the very village that he wanted to become the leader of, he abandoned the friends he had worked so hard to keep, and now he may never go home.

_Snap out of it Naruto! You did what your heart told you to do! You know just as well that you wanted to stay by Sasuke's side. I've been through worse than this!_

His thoughts started to dive deeper into the depths of what mattered to him the most.

_Does Sasuke even like me back? I know she views me as her friend, but is that all that's there? We're do we even go from here?_

It had been several moments that the two renegade ninja sat in complete silence. Both ninja stare at the sky as dawn was about to break the darkened sky. The star in their solar system came into view, illuminating the snow and providing much needed heat to the area. This was time for them to keep moving. Sasuke beat Naruto in getting out of the hot spring. She didn't want him to see her while nude as the kunoichi puts on her clothes as quick as humanly possible. Just as Sasuke finished putting back on her clothes and gear, she never noticed Naruto doing anything inappropriate towards her, not even taking a peek.

"Hm, I guess you were right about not being like Jiraiya."

Naruto gets out of the pool of water, coming into view of Sasuke.

"YOU REALLY MEAN IT!?"

There was something very wrong here, Naruto had no clothes on. The raven's pale face ripened into the complexion of a cherry. Her mind was violated, seeing Naruto's full frontal nudity. Her body wasted no time to do a 180 to not face such a sight; trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

"OH SHIT SASUKE! I-I'M SO SORRY!"

"IDIOT, J-J-JUST PUT ON SOME CLOTHES ALREADY!"

Naruto felt very embarrassed about his obliviousness to being modest in-front of someone that was the opposite gender. He covers his nether regions with his hands as he begins to search for his clothes.

_Dammit, why did I have to be so stupid? Ugh…_

The renegade shinobi found his orange trousers and began to pull them up to his waist. As he puts on more of his clothes, he listens in with shame as Sasuke continues her tirade.

"Damn you Naruto, you're worse than your perverted sensei!"

_Great, now I just dug myself deeper…_

* * *

Now both ninjas where fully dressed and on the move, except the Uchiha kunoichi refused to look at Naruto. Sasuke tried in vain to forget what had just happened minutes ago. During the long trek towards the border of the next land, they noticed a group of disheveled men. Naruto and Sasuke both knew that these must have been thugs roaming around in this area of the land. As some of the men approached the two former Konoha ninja, they expected some kind of response, but nothing came out of either of their mouths. They pitifully tried to block them from going any further as the thugs begin to cat call the raven haired girl.

"Hey there. I'll give you some good money if you sleep with me!"

"Yeah, you look mighty fine there lass!"

"You belong to us now!"

A kunai flung into the eye of the lowerer level ninja, causing him to fall to the ground and grovel in pain. The male companion to the girl began to violently throw punches at the unsuspecting criminals. They try in vain to stop the adrenaline filled blond as he beat them senseless. He used no jutsu's at all. He wanted to deliver them pain with his own two hands. As Naruto was distracted by his rage, one of the more powerful gang members was about to slash his back with a gendaito katana, but was stopped by the same kunoichi he had been lusting after. Sasuke used her sword to slice his arms off and impale him through the chest, ending him. The remaining gang of criminals fled, knowing that they stood no chance against powerful opponents like them.

Naruto and Sasuke continued on their way to their destination. They soon noticed some vegetation sprouting out of the ground as they traversed through the steep, stony hills. They saw the forest that reminded them that they were close to where they needed to be. But Sasuke had plans to go further than just the Land of Waterfalls. They would be able to access their situation and understand their next plan of action. But the raven noticed Naruto being uncharacteristically silent. His head was drooped low in contrast to him always having it held high. He looked exhausted as they walked at and even pace to the village. The silence was unwelcoming to her as now she hoped that he was not upset over the mob that had been trying to swoon her.

_Naruto..._

**End…**

* * *

Alright this was the second chapter. I'm still new to writing Naruto fics and I thank you all for the continued support. Another one coming next week!


	3. Droplets of Water

**Droplets of Water…**

Water begins to fall from the sky. The two renegade ninjas took refuge inside a hollowed out tree trunk as the rain begins to pour heavily onto the forest floor. They both sat there in silence; waiting for someone to talk, but no one uttered a single word. Naruto and Sasuke looked outside the hole like wandering cats thankful for not being wet. After a few minutes, there was some movement within the trunk; it was the blond jinjuriki. He held out two silver canteens that he forgot to fill back at the hot springs. They filled up with relatively cold water that would be used to quench their thirst in the near future. After filling the container for the water, Naruto closes them up as he rests against the thick wooden wall of the tree. The space enclosing them was quite tight, but both the shinobi and kunoichi had enough room to spread their legs to lie down.

Naruto was deep within his thoughts. Though he wasn't as vengeful as Sasuke, he admitted he would like to knock Itachi out for robbing his own little sister's hopes of having a childhood. The blond shinobi started to have a hard time keeping his eyes open from being exhausted. He eventually succumbed to the drowsiness as he drifts off into sleep.

Sasuke used this opportunity of being stationary to figure out what to do tactically and have backup plans incase if her plans go south. However, this whole situation has taken a toll on the raven haired kunoichi. Other than dozing off for a few minutes at the hot springs, she hadn't slept in days. Sasuke was afraid; she hates being asleep. Being asleep makes her feel defenseless, she's never able to truly understand what's really around her. Sasuke is always reliving the same dream over and over again; the slaughter of the Uchiha clan that she was helpless to stop. The raven looked towards her right to see the blond haired shinobi lay sleeping; he reminded her of him being like a kitten sleeping inside a cardboard box. The Uchiha kunoichi had to endure cold nights sleeping alone; no one to take care of the sole survivor of the massacre. Naruto had been the only one there for her. He had been different from the other boys. He never acted like one of her rabid fanboys like Kiba and Rock Lee.

_I don't know, should I?_

Sasuke needed to sleep. She needed energy to be able to fight akatsuki and Itachi, but something kept holding her back.

_I don't want to. The dream hurts me. But I need to. _

She decided that sleep was needed, but knew of the impending nightmares that was follow suit. The raven haired kunoichi gave in and her body slumped over to the right, getting her much needed rest.

* * *

**Hokage's Office**

"Yes, Shizune; let them in."

A pink haired teenage boy came into the building with a black haired teenage girl with exhausted and defeated looks on their faces.

"What happened with the mission? Where's Naruto?"

Tsunade did not expect Sakurai and Sai to come back in a state like this. The blond haired sannin expected to see the cheery optimistic Naruto; instead, a chilling absence took his place. She didn't think he could've been possibly killed this easily; despite putting Team 7 through such a dangerous mission.

"He, he left with Sasuke."

Both ninja looked down at the waxed wooden floor below them; trying to melt away from the shame they felt from such a colossal failure from one of the most difficult missions they've ever been on. Sakurai never expected Naruto to leave. The pinkette knew he never had a chance with Sasuke. He was always jealous that the blond shinobi always had a way of speaking with the beautiful raven haired kunoichi while he looked stupid in front of her. Sakurai always viewed Naruto as a rival for Sasuke's heart, but he never hated him. He never wanted him to abandon everything just for one girl. He viewed him just as much as a friend and comrade just as much as a rival for love. But what made the situation worse was how the sensei he trained under for two years was reacting. He could see that her brown eyes that had whatever life was left in her aging eyes go dim. Whatever faith she had in someone like Naruto, that brought her out of her depths of doubt and cynicism had all been diminished in a matter of seconds. He had wished to take those words back, but they were the truth, they were part of the mission. That was the painful part of being a shinobi.

"Well then, so much for that…"

The slug sannin pulled out a moderately sized porcelain bottle of sake as her gaze averted the chunnin in the room.

"Go now, I have to think about what to do next."

Both Konoha ninja exit the room; aimlessly towards somewhere in town that can give them artificial happiness.

* * *

**Land of Waterfalls Forest**

The blond shinobi's eyes began to open. The rest he received had definitely rejuvenated him as he was ready for the next leg of their journey. However, Naruto noticed something when he woke up. Sasuke wasn't in the other corner of the hollowed out tree trunk. He had begun to panic; he didn't want Sasuke to leave him again. But before the jinjuriki could get up, there was a weight that rested on his stomach that stopped Naruto from moving. Sasuke never left, in-fact, she fell asleep on him. He never knew if this was on accident or on purpose; but it made him feel glad that she still chose to stay with him. The blond shinobi decided not to move to not disturb the raven's sleep. He was enjoying every minute of this moment as if it would never come back to him. Naruto was tempted to stroke Sasuke's long hair that was in a ponytail but decided not to. Just then, he noticed Sasuke waking up slowly to the afternoon sun.

The raven woke up. As her eyes blinked, she saw orange. At that point, the kunoichi knew that it was Naruto's obnoxious colorful jumpsuit. And after that realization, she realized she had slept on top of the boy. Sasuke bashfully went to the other side of the wall away from Naruto.

_H-how could have I slept on Naruto?_

The blond shinobi tilted his head sideways; wondering what was wrong with his friend.

"What's wrong Sasuke?"

"Nothing... Just give me a minute", the Uchiha Kunoichi had her head turned so her blond friend wouldn't see how red her cheeks were.

The Uchiha girl had to seriously get her mind in order; her heart beat was rather higher than it should be. But something seemed completely foreign to her. Sasuke always had night terrors. She would always feel abandoned and empty whenever she woke up to a new day; instead, she felt warm inside. Even when she was with Team 7, she never remembered feeling the way she felt now. The raven turned her head to face the blond; both genin look at each other. None of them knew what to say. There was an instinct within both of them to inch closer; to bring their bodies together. The kunoichi decided to ignore the feelings inside of her as her male counterpart had a tougher time ignoring the urges he felt. She had to speak now before they go beyond the point of no return.

"We need to go. How much money do you have Naruto?"

The jinjuriki snapped out his animalistic behavior and tried to respond to Sasuke's question.

"Oh, uh, let me check."

The blond shinobi reached into his rucksack to find his old frog wallet that held mostly Leaf Village currency. But the shinobi had other things on his mind that would prove to get in the way of what he was doing.

_What just happened? First Sasuke sleeps on me then she leans away from me then looks me in the eyes. Something seemed different about her…_

Naruto didn't have all that much. He hoped that there were places that accepted Konoha's currency because they needed to evade everyone that is hunting down him and the last Uchiha. The blond shinobi knew that the raven was broke. She never took any cash with her the day she left the village. Both ninja tried to come up with a solution to their money problems. But they had to prepare to move to not leave a trail for their enemies to find them. Sasuke was ready rather quickly as she had her rucksack on her back.

"Hurry up; we don't have all day loser."

The raven's statement annoyed Naruto, but he was on the move as soon as the pack holding his luggage rested on his back. Both ex-Konoha nin leapt from tree to tree at great speeds as they were in range of the Hidden Waterfall Village. They highly doubted that the ninja Hidden Waterfall Village would be able to defeat them; but they are a threat to them none the less. The village was nowhere near the size and volume of The Hidden Leaf village, but it had a decent market district. As Naruto and Sasuke landed in a narrow alleyway, Naruto had to remove his Leaf Village headband he was once proud to wear. He felt like he had brought great to the village he once served; and ultimately taken the headband off his head. The raven looked at him with a slight concern as the boy had a tough time dealing with his internal struggles. The blond shinobi tried to not be emotional about it; instead, he inhaled some air and stuffed the headgear into his pants pocket. Deciding not to waste the kunoichi's time, they both walked into the plaza trying to blend in with the civilian populous. The renegade ninjas unfortunately stood out with their ninja attire and they knew well that they needed to disappear from the enemy's sight.

"Let's go in here."

"Right."

They found a small outlet that had a couple of clothing stores. They hadn't changed clothes in days and both ninja welcomed the idea of new clothes. They eventually came to a conclusion to what they would wear.

Naruto chose to wear a samue dyed in a blackish color with a net shirt underneath. He also had a belt wrapped around his waist that was a dark dull orange. The blond shinobi still adamantly wore his same black sandals since his training with Jiraiya. He now wore a mask on the side of his head similar to that of an ANBU operative. It had squinted eyes and red swirls painted on the cheek of the plate. As the shinobi impatiently waited for Sasuke came out, she walked out; catching Naruto by surprise.

"Wow! You don't look half bad bastard!"

The raven seemed to have a harder time containing her blush each time the blond said anything. It didn't help that Naruto just looked plain goofy with his shit eating grin and giving the bashful girl a thumbs up. The kunoichi now had her hair down to her back while a bow kept her hair neat and proper. She was wearing a sleeveless indigo kimono that went as far down as her hips; exposing her smooth legs out in the open for the lustful jinjuriki to see. Respectively, she had her own mask; it had black feathers painted on the right side of the mask with two sharp slants that would expose the Uchiha's charcoal colored eyes. The retailer then threw in a comment much to the raven's chagrin.

"You both are just so cute together!"

"Thanks!" exclaimed the mutually excited Uzumaki.

_Wow, I don't think this can get any worse…_

* * *

After Naruto paid for both their new threads, he sought out an inn they can both sleep at as a more favorable option than to sleep in the wilderness. Night began to fall over the small village. The moon was fully visible, even though the sheer volume of massive trees around the vicinity of the streets would try to hinder its appearance. There was life bustling in the little settlement: kids playing in the dirt roads with lanterns burning brightly, adults conversing with each other about their daily work, and the old now appreciating the natural beauty they've ignored over the decades. The renegade Konoha ninjas stumble into a small two story inn; waiting for someone to respond to their call.

"Hey! Is anybody here?"

"You moron, would they leave their doors open if they weren't?"

The blond shinobi pouted after hearing the raven's logical words. But Sasuke did make a mental note of it taking surprisingly long for anybody to heed their arrival.

"Hello?" The raven said with a faint hesitance in her voice.

Just then, an elderly lady came out and was ready to see what her young customers wanted.

"Sorry for the wait, would you like a room for two?"

"I wo-."

"Yes a room for two would be good!"

_Ugh, that loser is starting to annoy me again._

"Good, I will show the both of you to the couple's room."

_Wow, at times like this, I wish I wasn't born a girl. What's the deal with everyone thinking me and this imbecile are a couple?_

As they walked up the steps into one of only four rooms, the old lady opened to door and notioned Naruto to come in closer for a whisper. It was inaudible for the Uchiha kunoichi's ears, but it was probably for the best since the blond shinobi chuckled at what the inn keeper said. Now she feared that his desire to see her in a less innocent light manifested during the brief exchange of words. They both entered the room; Sasuke being more reluctant of the two. The room made her more intimate towards the boy; but instead of his happy go lucky attitude, he slumped on the bed with a downcast look. Naruto still had a long road of getting over what he had done. What he did felt wrong, but felt right at the same time. The confliction in his soul drained him of his energy. He just stared at the ceiling fan that spun slowly; just so he had something to preoccupy himself with.

_This new life, it's not easy. I'm going to burn those Akatsuki assholes to the ground. Hopefully then I can fix what is broken…_

The bond shinobi's thoughtful look unknowingly gained the attention of the girl that was with him in the room. As he starts to drift off to sleep, Naruto felt the bed spring sink deeper into the floor as he turns his head to face the only person it could be. Just as he was about to utter a word, a finger was placed on his lips.

"Shhh, just sleep."

The blond's face felt like it was on fire as his heart rate increased. She smiled at him which didn't really help Naruto's composure. It was so difficult to contain the arousal he felt; but before he even acted on his body's wishes, Sasuke pulls his head close to her body as she massages the boy's scalp. Her slender fingers ran through his blond spikey hair effortlessly.

_Why is she acting like this? This is so sudden… _

Naruto in that instant fell asleep from the comfort that he had received from the Uchiha kunoichi. Now it was just Sasuke that stayed awake; looking at the now resting jinjuriki. She raps her arms around his sleeping body as her body pressed against his.

_Why am I doing this?_

The raven haired girl's cheeks stung from the embarrassment of what she just did. It was almost as if she seduced him with no shame what so ever. As now as Sasuke allowing her body to sleep, she began to question if this was the right choice that she was making for herself.

**End…**


	4. Downpour

**Chapter 4: Downpour**

Downpour…

Hokage's Office

A woman sat in a wooden roller chair. She had a dejected look on her face as a group of ninja enter the room. They waited with anticipation as they wait for their orders.

"Listen. Some of you will not find this mission easy. Some of you may hurt. Some of you may come back broken. But at all costs; for the sake of the Hidden Leaf Village, bring him back. Bring Naruto back. We cannot afford to let our enemies get a hold of what's inside of him."

The platoon sized group of the ninjas knew that this wasn't a simple mission to beat up thugs or escort bridge builders; they were going to fight a warrior that had the power to level an entire village. The Chunnin, Jonin, and even ANBU Black Ops personnel had sour expressions; all with similar and indifferent expressions. But they knew this was a mission that couldn't be refused. This mission was detrimental to Konoha's national security.

"When do we leave Lady Hokage?"

Tsunade looks at Yamato who had asked with urgency in his voice.

"Tonight; make sure you go over your tactics with your teams and search the lands around. I've made Naruto's absence confidential to those within the room. We cannot afford the Akatsuki to obtain knowledge of Naruto's last whereabouts. And there's one more thing I need to warn you all about: Uchiha Sasuke. There is a chance that she has been manipulating Naruto into aiding into her goal of revenge. Expect resistance and use whatever force is necessary. You are dismissed."

The ninjas faded out of view in a fraction of a second. Tsunade knew this would be emotionally taxing to everyone, especially Naruto for dragging him away from someone he had searched for a long time.

Hotel

A ninja, with whiskers etched into his skin, opens his eyes; like the cat he is. The weight that he felt comfortable with, though he wasn't used to it, vanished. This awoke the shinobi in an unpleasant manner. He now calls for her name.

"SASUKE!"

"I'm right here idiot."

Her back was turned to the shinobi who just woke up. His worry subsided as he watched the kunoichi read some generic paperback novel. This intrigued Naruto as this could possibly help him figure out what kind of things Sasuke was into. The boy jumped onto the floor from the bed and crept up to the girl's shoulder as he curiously looked into the books content.

"What do you want?"

The Uchiha Kunoichi closed the book; depriving the jinjuriki the chance to learn something new about his love interest.

"Nothing; I've just never seen you read before."

"Yeah, like you would ever read." The raven snubbed the blond.

"Geez, I'm sorry I even asked."

Naruto nervously scratches the back of his head with a slightly disappointed face. He hoped to make progress with talking to the beauty before him; but his efforts proved to be in vain. The blond still had no answers for last night. It only left the boy more confused and wondered if his feelings where reciprocated by the girl. He was only more determined to figure out how the raven haired girl felt about him.

_Grr, why did I do that last night? Now he's all over me. It's so embarrassing!_

Sasuke was still lamenting about what happened last night. It felt like it was really out of character of her to do such a thing. Something, however, felt right about it. She hated that it seemed like it was 'right' of her to act in such a shameless manor towards the jinjuriki. The raven tried to push aside those undesired thoughts, but they would not budge. The Uchiha kunoichi needed to do something and fast before it got worse.

"I'm going to take a walk."

Sasuke saw Naruto's look of disdain as her desire conflict his.

"Don't worry, I'm not running away."

The blond shinobi's face softened slightly, although there were still signs of his disapproval on his face. The Uchiha survivor walked out the door with no resistance and into the streets of the waterfall village.

The village was vibrant and filled with life just as much as it was, if not more than at night. Sasuke now had a proper amount of time to clear her head. The kunoichi decided to sit on a bench after walking for a few minutes. The raven sat with her legs crossed as the wind tugs her long hair; staring further than what was in-front of her vision.

_Damn, is this going to even work? I don't want that idiot to get close to me. How much longer can I even push him away?_

The blond shinobi was also considering things as well as he lay on top of the small mattress in the cramped motel room. His face was devoid of a carefree attitude. Instead, it was one of self-examination.

_Was I too pushy on her? Should I give Sasuke her space? I've been too forceful on her. Maybe I'm being selfish by making her stay with me. I don't want to make her more unhappy than she already is._

The fan turned slowly in the darkened room while the fan turned slowly. The only light came through the window with shades letting in only minuscule spots of the burning star in the sky. The lethargic teenager tried not to think about home. He forced himself to think about right now instead of doing things he may regret. He still hoped that he made the right choice.

_No, I did make the right choice! I'm doing this for Sasuke! I'll have that bastard's through the thick of it all! I'll always be there for her!_

The determination returned to the youth's eyes as he stared into the still moving fan. Naruto may not have the strategic cunning that Sasuke has, but he tried to think ahead to their next destination to track down Itachi. The jinjuriki knew that they should find a place to train to prepare for potential upcoming battles. He knew that they weren't going to fight the common genin or gangster; this would be high ranked renegade shinobi that have years of experience. He remembered painfully how he saw the raven hair girl being beaten up by her older brother after she tried to exact her vengeance. The blond shinobi felt her struggle, even seeing through her bitter exterior. He honestly hopes that he can see the raven walk through the door again.

Elsewhere, the Uchiha made the decision to head back to the motel to check on Naruto. Just as she got up, a force shook her body.

"You betrayed me... You stupid girl…"

Sasuke couldn't mistake his serpentine voice. She was able to withstand the trepidation he was attempting to surge through her being.

"You're just a creep that wants false immortality. You failed to even kill my brother. How do you expect me to stay loyal to someone so pathetic?"

The curse seal on the raven's neck began to glow intermittently with pain pulsating through her body. She was able to withstand Orochimaru fear tactic, but knew that if she stayed out there for two long, the goal that she's working to get may be compromised.

_Dammit! I let my emotions get the better of me. I was supposed to stay in the shadows. I-we need to move quickly to get to Itachi… Wait, Naruto…_

Sasuke walked back as quickly as she could; opting not to expose the fact that she's a wanted ex-konoha ninja by leaping from building to building. It wasn't exactly too far for the kunoichi, but the motel wasn't that close either. The raven knew the blond was strong, but she didn't want harm to befall onto Naruto. She was scared for his life as threats were everywhere. The kunoichi ran around the crowds of people on the street and into the small building; opening the door to find the boy doing some type of handstand push-up.

"Oi, Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Her eyes widened; seeing nothing happened to him.

"It's none of your concern Naruto."

"I'm sorry; I was just worried about you."

She felt guilty about crudely pushing aside Naruto's concern, as she was sure of threats encroaching onto them. It was time for them to move on. As much as Sasuke wanted to stay for a little while, she felt selfish just having that though crossing her mind.

"I think we need to continue on our journey, we don't want the ninja of this village to recognize us. We've been here long enough."

"You're right. We should get to work on beating your brother senseless!"

Although the surviving Uchiha wanted to do more than just beat up Itachi, she couldn't help but smirk at Naruto's enthusiasm. Soon enough, they packed their bags and headed downstairs. As Naruto was paying the bill for the night they spent at the motel, Sasuke looked out of the slightly open sliding shoji doors to see the streets cleared with five figures standing outside, wearing headbands of Takigakure with cyan coloured uniforms. The raven haired kunoichi looked into the blue eyed shinobi. Without even a word being exchanged, they knew if they exited out the front, they would get into a fight with the ninja outside. But there were few exits within the small cramped building they currently occupied. Naruto calmly kept paying the bill while the inn keeper had no knowledge of the chaos that could erupt in an instant. The two renegade ninjas needed to think of something fast.

Naruto wanted to fight. He felt like he could mop the floors with these ninjas, as he compared them to amateurs. His left hand balled into a fist while the right hand shook the inn keeper's hand.

Sasuke wanted to flee, opting not to waste valuable chakra on these low level ninja. She knew that the ninja's out there didn't want to alarm the civilians within the vicinity or harm them in anyway so the kunoichi took advantage of that. Since the two didn't have any knowledge of space distortion jutsus to teleport, they had to do the next best thing.

The two ex-Konoha ninja exited out of the motel; their masks covered their face. The Takigakure ninjas pulled out their arsenal of weapons as they gained a little bit of ground. The two ninja walked towards them, ready for whatever they can throw at them. As the third in the formation charged with her sanjiegun, the enemy kunoichi's attack was certain to hit the unsuspecting outlaws. But as soon as the attack would hit Sasuke, their forms vanished into thin air. The Takigakure kunoichi was angered that her attack failed, while the four other ninja's pursued the runaway ninjas.

Where's that exit? We got to evade them before they enclose us!

Their pursuers' momentum hastened as Naruto and Sasuke put forth their best efforts to escape from them. As the two renegades leaped from tree to tree, the jinjuriki was angered.

Dammit, why the hell do we have to flee from them like weaklings? I'm tired of running away!

The last thing standing between them escaping was the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Stones. There was a massive group of experienced ninja ready to subdue the ex-Konoha ninja. Naruto reluctantly got what he had desired and the situation Sasuke didn't want the two of them to be in.

"Suiton: Suiryuden no Jutsu!" The army of Takigakure shouted in unison.

The blond ninja jumped high into the air to avoid the strikes of the aquatic reptilians as he makes the hand seals for his signature jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto's clones all clutched kunai knives as they all attempted valiantly to dodge the besieging water dragons. The company sized units of clones were wiped out one by one. Sasuke had trouble holding off the ninja as well.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The massive fire ball eliminated the water ninjutsus that could have stopped her right in her tracks. But she wouldn't let them win no matter what. The raven then had the idea of using their water techniques against them. She hoped her tactical prowess would be enough to turn the tides of battle. Some of the Takigakure shinobi took the fight to her as they attempted to use taijutsu at close range. Sasuke with all of her might pulled out her blade and slashed the assailants.

The blond shinobi was having a hard time holding the army of ninja back. He summoned more cannon fodder to confront the bulk of Takigakure's defense. He managed to kill some of the shinobi that kept hammering his clone forces but there numbers were so many. Seeing that there were starting to combine their water techniques into one to finish him off started to make the boy panic. He summoned multiple clones to cover him so he can use a stronger attack against his many opponents. As they began to buy Naruto much valuable time, they were struck out of existence as the twister of water began to thrust itself into the jinjuriki. But the blond shinobi defied the odds as he thrusts his seal-less Jutsu.

"RASENGAN!"

The wind technique was under-powered compared to the massive flood of water that bashed against Naruto's stronger jutsu. However, it started to work in a way that diverted the water around him instead of crushing him. Sasuke used this opportunity to take the people performing the jutsu down. As the Uchiha kunoichi sprinted towards the hordes of enemies, she used hand seals to activate another more powerful technique. The raven haired girl's sharingan glowed brightly as she cried the name of her jutsu.

"CHIDORI NAGASHI!"

Instead of using it on one enemy, she used it with her sword and cut her defenseless foes down. The diversion Naruto made paid off as the combined jutsu fell apart. But before they could celebrate a potential victory, reinforcements were about to arrive in larger numbers; replacing the dead that had been laid to waste by the two ex-Konoha ninja.

"Naruto! We need to go now!"

Sasuke didn't want to waste time or chakra on another wave of unnecessary adversaries; it was time for them to move on while they had the chance. But Naruto just stood there; lost in his urge to fight. The raven haired girl was furious that the boy would waste their window that they worked so hard to make; but in actuality, she was terrified. He was going to get himself killed if he stayed to battle an even larger force that what they struggled to fight against before.

"Naruto you idiot, let's go!"

Her call went on deaf ears as the jinjuriki still had his feet still planted in the thick mud; refusing to leave. Sasuke's emotions started to take a toll on her. The raven didn't even care if what she was about to say went against her prideful exterior.

"NARUTO! I don't want you to die! Don't leave me here alone!"

The Uchiha's eyes watered slightly as those five words left her lips. The kunoichi started to lose hope that he would move. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave him; they had done a lot together. It was gravely difficult for her to abandon Naruto when she went to Orochimaru; and she was not ready to relive the same pain of that decision again. Just as her hopes began to die, the blond shinobi came to his senses.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what happened to me there. Let's ditch this place."

The raven haired kunoichi was able to keep her tears from falling. They both leapt onto the border of the Land of Stones as they continued their journey south.

Hokage's Office

An owl arrives at the desk of the village leader. Tsunade grabs the letter with quick haste from the bird and unfurls the scroll to decipher its contents.

'We regret to inform you that we failed to capture the AWOL ninjas of your village. We have taken massive casualties from them and have lost track of them.'

Though this was a setback to the Hokage's plans, she only needed make slight adjustments to her strategy to capture the renegade ninja.

**End…**


	5. Announcement

**Announcement**

It's been a while hasn't it? I've left this series dormant for over a year. I see a good amount of people like this series. That's why I am deciding to revive it and I've found my muse again for writing. Now I won't guarantee this to be a masterpiece but I'll do my best. I am sensitive to criticism, but I understand it's for the betterment of my ability to create content. Now with that being said, I will update everyone of the layout of the story and what is different from the canon story so I will have no need of explaining anything in the future.

This is a slightly AU fiction: The way events will unfold will be dramatically different from the canon. Some characters will not die while others will die. Events will be altered. The Madara Plot will be handled a little differently and there will be no Kaguya/infinite tsukuyomi. The following characters are gender bent within the fiction.

Sasuke

Sakura

Sai

Ino

Chouji

As weird and unusual as a selection this seems, I did this for balancing reasons and I feel fits with the narrative of this particular fiction. And the final bit of news is that I will keep Sasuke's name the same. I originally wanted to keep the name the same and the issue of debating changing the name to satisfy some readers had bothered me to the point of abandoning the story. Some would ask,"Why are you keeping Sasuke's name but changing others?" The reason is mainly because I am putting a lot of focus into Sasuke(female) and I don't feel like it's nessesary to change his(female in this fiction) name.

Anyway, I thank you all for the support and I hope I can continue this series that has potential.


	6. Slight Drizzle

**Slight Drizzle...**

The two renegade ninja walked through the Land of Stones. The region began to live up to its moniker as they saw the vegetation fading away to being a barren land with nothing but sedimentary pillars naturally carved by nature aiming skyward. Naruto still had his heart on his sleeve traveling alongside his somewhat cold companion. Though he was strangely feeling at odds with himself despite having positive thoughts in his head. The words in his head clashed and had drained him of some energy in addition to the battle that drained some of his chakra. He pressed on. Not because of machoism or trying to challenge himself, but to survive and adapt to this new life. Naruto snapped out of his thoughts to see Sasuke slowing down her pace. He wouldn't have noticed this if it wasn't for the fact she seems a little more tense than normal. Even though they didn't use up a huge amount of their chakra reserves, the raven seemed a little off.

"Hey moron. It's going to be a while before we can rest. We're in a more active area now so we need to keep going."

"Well, tell me something I don't know bastard.", the blonde said sassily while his hands were behind his head.

"There's a contact we need to meet about 20 klicks southwest of here into a ravine."

"Contact?", the jinjuriki responding in a puzzled manner.

"You really have to make me explain things so your little brain can make sense of things?"

"Gee, you're such a nice gal for keeping me in the loop..."

"Long story short; Otogakure has connections with the underground and can help with keeping us hidden while we find what we're looking for."

"That's right. That fight we had with the Takigakure ninjas probably put us on the map.", Naruto actually being more adept for once.

After the raven haired kunoichi nodded, there was silence for a couple of minutes; that is until the Uchiha spoke.

"Hey Naruto, are you going to be alright?", the kunoichi uncharacteristically asked.

The shinobi didn't expect her to ask a question of concern. Was he that bad at hiding his issues inside? He needed to respond with something. The blonde didn't want her to know his thoughts despite them being typical for this kind of situation. Naruto didn't want to outright lie to Sasuke; neither does he want to make things worse for her by being blunt with the truth. He just hoped she would just accept whatever came out of his mouth.

"Oh me? I'm fine, I'm fine! Do they have ramen in this village?", Naruto sporting his signature smile.

The raven haired Uchiha responded with her usual "hmn". However, she looked distressed and tightened her fist.

_Naruto, why do you continue to follow someone horrible like me?_

* * *

The hastily formed task force of Konoha ninjas followed the tracks left behind from their former comrades. The team consisted of Kakashi, Sakurai, Sai, Yamato, Shikamaru, Chou, Kiba, and Hinata. All of them were affected by Naruto's absence and were determined to bring him home. Not in the hope that things return to normal; it's too late for that. He had gone past the point of no return. He killed many shinobi without orders and without a just cause. Naruto is now a wanted criminal. Kakashi debriefed the personnel involved in the mission.

"Listen up, we're three days behind Naruto and Sasuke's trail. That's why we have Inuzuka and Hyuga with us as they have heightened sensory kekkei genkai. They have pinpointed the exact steps that the fugitives took. However, they likely covered their tracks because they know they're being hunted down. This brings us to this plan. Since they're three days ahead of us, we need to split the task force into two separate units west to search villages that they could be hiding in. North Squad will consist of me, Sakurai, Sai, and Shikamaru. South Squad will consist of Yamato, Chou, Kiba, and Hinata."

"How will we be able to communicate with each other from long distances?", Kiba interjected.

"Squad leaders will be given portable radios. Every 30 minutes, there will be status reports to track progress for this mission. Does anyone else have any questions?"

The konoha ninjas remained silent.

"Naruto may be someone we care about, but he's no longer the same. We can't let him be captured be the Akatsuki at all costs."

Everyone nodded and they proceeded with the mission.

* * *

The ex-konohagakure ninja found the ravine after walking for many hours. They traversed the landscape leaping effortlessly until they met lower ground. The arched entrance indicated they had arrived at their intended destination. A shady figure clad in raggy street clothes glared daggers at the sudden appearance of the genin. Glints of eyes shone in the darkness as the obscured figures grab the hilts of their strange earth weapons. Before the storm disturbed the proverbial calm, the figure spoke with an aged husk voice.

"Are you sure you've come to the right place kiddies?"

More figures came out of the darkness; each of them having maniacal and sadistic expressions plastered on their face. Armed to the teeth; they take steps into the partially obscured daylight. These thugs had very little, if anything remotely human in their eyes. Naruto and Sasuke although used to seeing low lives such as these on a common basis, but something seemed darker about them.

The kunoichi replied,"Fiddle for a riddle?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks suddenly. All where puzzled by this dead serious girl babbling nonsense until the thugs no longer tensed up. They chuckled and went back into the darkness as the last Uchiha walked towards them.

"Only if you dance a little, hehe.", the shady old man replied.

"What the hell was that?", Naruto puzzled yet again by this.

"It's amazing how someone like you made it out of the academy.", Sasuke mocked the confused and annoyed jinjuriki.

"You sure know how to push my buttons bastard."

From the little Naruto could read from the situation, he could tell the raven haired girl had been here before. The two renegade ninjas entered in the hole in the earth as daylight was replaced with sparely lit torches along the walls. It smelled rather putrid in there; as a result of it being filthy from the scattered trash alongside the carved out corridor. As they walked through the covered ravine, it revealed itself to be an elaborate tunnel system that was almost a bustling community of its own. Most of it's residence are however, revealed to the newcomer to be hardened war criminals and sex offenders.

_This place... What is... All of this?_

The blonde on the surface seemed unperturbed by what his eyes laid before him. Inside; however, he had not been exposed to things so vile, so deplorable. Narcotics flowed free as junkies inject themselves with their poisonous antidotes. Debauchery on a massive scale with sex slaves being forced against their will to do as their masters desire. Then there were these men harvesting organs from corpses to sell, some of them were still alive on the table while they ripped their valuable innards out of them. They screamed, but it would only turn to silence. Death was their only way out for there was no one to listen to their cries for help. The young man's steps got heavier and heavier each time he would walk through this labyrinth of sin and depravity. Bile filled his insides as he could no longer contain it.

"Uuegh!"

The Uzumaki braced himself against the wall as the dwellers of this miserable place mocked and convulsed at his disgust. The raven looked away, ashamed.

"SASUKE! HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED IN THIS SHIT!?"

The stone hard girl, who was normally cold and ruthless, quaked not by what was around her, but from the words coming from Naruto himself. Sasuke could barely bring herself to speak.

"Naruto, this was the only way..."

"Don't talk to me anymore...", the shinobi glared at the Uchiha with a fierce anger.

The two continued ahead no longer making eye contact. The raven haired girl held her head down in shame.

_I deserve to be hated. I'm probably no better than Itachi. With all the stuff I've done..._

Sasuke remembered when she was a Otogakure ninja, she would go with Kabuto to deal with these group of people. They would purchase young orphans to be slaves for Otogakure and to be used for Orochimaru's "experiments". She had to adapt quickly to her master's wants and assist him in acquiring "materials" in exchange for being trained to beat Itachi. No matter how repulsive the task, Sasuke followed orders to meet her personal goals of being strong enough to fulfill her vengeance. Only now, when she is being confronted about these actions by someone she cares about, she feels regret and remorse.

* * *

After settling in the deeper part of the Iwagakure underground, a malnourished little girl chained up delivered the guests some kind of instant ramen. The jinjuriki had an empty expression after being offered a cup of his favorite food. His eyes though lost a lot of it's innocence, still had some humanity left in his eyes. He talked to the man holding the slave girl captive.

"She can have it... Instead of me..."

"Oh, why's this? You're one of them do gooders?", the thug inched closer to the teenage shinobi.

"You'll learn. You'll learn alright. Those people above, those people appointed over the masses. They're no better than us, the ones down here.", the man's rotting teeth showed with his saccharine grin.

"You're a warrior with no home, just like us!", he laughed.

"I'm NOTHING like you scumbags." Naruto snarled.

"The system is ugly and crooked. They use us and dispose of us whenever they please. You haven't woken up yet, am I right? You believe those Kages' to know ALL the answers? Those self righteous fucks."

The man peered right into his face; condescending and mocking him. The blonde shaked uncontrollably.

"Accept the impurity around you. Give into your lust. You can even HAVE your way with this girl right..."

*SKKKKGGG

"aagggg..."

The man clasps onto his slit throat in a futile effort to keep blood from gushing out. After he collapsed onto the floor, several thugs show up to see what the commotion was. Naruto held his blood stained kunai as a fight was about to erupt. The little girl then hid behind the blonde shinobi as the mob of criminals attacked.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

Multiple shadow clones charged to engage the mob in battle. The clones attacked the gang with incredible speed and brutality. Bodies lay mangled and bloody on the clay floor of the tunnel after the clones finished their work. Naruto turned his head around to face the little girl.

"It's alright, the-."

"Monster! Stay away!"

Sasuke being active in the incident looked at the scene unfolding in front of her. The jinjuriki's eyes glowed red as his face had more demonic appearance. His expression was one of shock and pain as he just stood there. The Uchiha kunoichi has been unintentionally pushing this boy beyond his mental limits. Small red strands of ckakra from the kyuubi leaked out of the seal because of the emotional anguish. She was lost. The raven lost any trace of direction in that very moment. Two worlds collided and their fiery cores engulfed and scorched the surface above. Then one appeared in front of the three.

"You killed all of these fuckers in a matter of seconds, I'm impressed kid!", a new foe appeared.

"Doton: Maddo shinshoku!"

The cave suddenly began to collapse quickly. The raven had to think quick.

_The girl!_

The raven leaped forward into the oncoming attack. She knew the child wouldn't survive if she didn't intervene. The Uchiha kunoichi grabbed the scared girl and leaped backwards as she drew her katana.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

The lightning jutsu was effective at breaking up the earth attack before it crushed them. The three then ended up in an open area within the tunnel system built similarly to a temple. The big silhouette approached them while performing hand seals for his next jutsu.

"Doton: Fukusu Gōremu no Jutsu!"

Multiple huge golems appeared from the earth beneath them. Naruto created a few clones with intentions of destroying each of them with a rasengan. As each of the golems go down, the disgraced ninja kept the jinjuriki busy switching from jutsu to jutsu with record speed.

"Doton: Kazangan Doryuudan no Jutsu!"

A dragon's head made of stone was erected from the earth and spewed out lava from the earth's core. Naruto dodges the attacks even though its wasn't easy due to the speed of his attack. This guy was not the average thug.

"Hehe!"

While the rouge shinobi was in mid air, the ground below him changed.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

He had nowhere else to land other than the chakra infested swamp.

"Shit! I'm stuck!", the blonde realizing that this fight was not in his favor. He was sinking quickly into the deadly jutsu. He struggled and squirmed as the usually optimistic and hopeful genin began to fight it less and less. Naruto looked around as his head was the only thing visible in the swamp. He began to accept that he was going under and stopped struggling altogether.

"You're done kid!"

"I WON'T LET YOU KILL HIM!"

*KKKRRRR

"UUGHH!"

Sasuke impaled the ninja through the chest with her sword. He twitched slightly as his miserable life ceased. He dropped to the floor as the Uchiha Kunoichi rushed to the Uzumaki.

"Naruto!", she immediately began digging the blonde shinobi out of the now dried dirt floor.

"What about the girl?", he looked with a slight disdain.

She forgot about her. The nameless child slave ran away from them in the panic. They soon heard voices. These sounded different from the criminals. These voices sounded official. They both knew it was time to move, despite Naruto's concern. Despite the horrible things that occurred, they knew that they set someone free. A child that will never have to endure the horrors and the evil that her captors have put her through again. But this situation left Sasuke with more questions than answers. She wonders if Naruto would ever forgive her for everything that has happened to them. Naruto, however felt different inside. It was something that he had yet to notice or explain.

* * *

A humanoid form grows from the wall; spying on the two outlaws as they flee from the Iwagakure ninja.

"The kids are quite an interesting pair... Wouldn't say they're too hard, or too easy."

"I shall report this back to our leader..."

The man with the unusual appearance sank back into the wall, eventually bringing Naruto and Sasuke unwillingly into the world's view.

**End...**

* * *

Well, this was my return chapter. It's probably not my best. I know people will say that "Naruto wouldn't be beat that easily." Again, trying not to make him too OP. Plus, logically, this enemy would be more fitting for Sasuke because Sasuke is good with lightning element. As for the writing, it probably could be better. I did what I could to develop the characters and push the plot forward. Probably some tropes and cliches found their way in there. Anyway, enough rambling. Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it!


	7. Stream

**(A little side note before reading: My confidence writing this is falling a bit short and I am somewhat reluctant to post. I know I'm not as active as I used to be which is why this could be slightly better. I, however, have a solid direction I want to take this story in and I know what to do with the characters. This chapter has references of a graphic nature so if you are sensitive to some things, I advise skipping this chapter and I will recap events in a non offensive manner since its a touchy subject matter. Anyway, here is chapter 6.)**

**Stream...**

The two renegades skipped across the jagged landscape and into the gully's to stay away from view of potential Iwagakure patrols as now their bounties have been raised for their capture. They had exchanged very little words since their fight with the thugs earlier. Naruto had depleted such a huge reserve of energy and chakra, that even basic acrobatic maneuvering had become a challenge for the shinobi. He had to also fight off Kurama's tempting offer of giving him his chakra. Sasuke wasn't faring much better either. It had been over twenty-four hours since they've had any sleep and been on the move. The kunoichi felt exhaustion and pain from carrying her rucksack during the duration of this journey. They couldn't stop. This was how life had to be for them, at least for the time being. They'd hope this broken way of living was only temporary and that everything would fall into place after they accomplish their goal. Just then, they sensed the presence of a foreign chakra.

"We need to hide", the raven spoke.

Incoming shinobi from Iwagakure patrolling the area likely caught wind of them being in the area and are in quick in pursuit. There were a good number of them; showing that they are well prepared for their challenging opponents.

"No, I'm going to fi...", an exhausted Naruto stubbornly exhaled.

Sasuke then grabbed the jinjuriki against his will while straining her already sore body. This time, there will be no fight. There is no time to run. They had to use whatever chakra they had as they returned to basic ninjutsu.

"Henge no Jutsu!"

Both of the runaways combined their chakra to turn into mere pebbles.

Footsteps approached. The patrol was just meters away, and they didn't look like they were going away anytime soon. Sasuke was not holding out well, however, Naruto still struggling, is doing slightly better due to the Uzumaki clan traits he had with large chakra reserves. But they weren't sure how long they could maintain the transformation.

"Shintaro, they're likely here. There's definitely something unnatural about this area."

"Yeah, I see what your saying Jin. There's definitely abnormalities."

They looked at this particular area and see a couple of items spread around the canyon floor. Two modestly sized green rucksacks lay in the dirt with survival essentials exposed to the elements. The sun starts to set; darkening the area slightly.

"This is a route that travelers and smugglers use. But these are freshly abandoned supplies..."

"Alright! Boos is on me tonight," a third shinobi excitedly exclaimed taking money from a strange looking frog wallet.

"There doesn't seem to be much food, but it's better than burning through our already limited rations."

"This must be our lucky day", a fourth announced.

Three more members of the patrol congregated towards the four ninjas, making it a total of seven. The two renegades felt pain as they tried desperately not to release chakra from the transformation but they were starting to cave into the pain. It had been hours that they've been holding this complex transformation. Naruto's chakra reserve, which was naturally strong was now contesting his other source of chakra, an unnaturally stronger one. This game of endurance was about to end. It was just about impossible to maintain the form at this point. No matter the result, this was a fatal situation to begin with.

"Come on, we need to keep patrolling the canyon. Let's move out!"

POOF

A cloud of smoke appeared in front of the patrol. It soon dispersed, leaving two discernible figures out in the open. Seven pairs of eyes stared at the weak, panicking humans. There was nothing they could do to erase their occupation of space. They knew who they were and now and there was little they could do.

"DON'T MOVE OR YOU'RE DEAD!"

Kunai's and their equivalents were drawn as the Iwagakure ninjas encroached into the personal space of both the renegade ninja. Naruto just stared at the assumed leader with a tired glare. He had one knee on the ground as his head was spinning slightly. Sasuke had her hand on the hilt of her katana as she was frozen in place. There had to be some kind of technique they could use to get out of this situation. There had to be some miracle right? In the mind of one, he perceived his own defiance as such. But there was no fight, no escape.

"AAGGGHH!", the blonde jinjuriki screeched as feet pushed him into the ground.

The ninja then knelled down to the renegade and whispered in his ear, "Say, we can negotiate something, instead of making your life a living hell."

The Iwagukure shinobi looked at his raven haired partner. The Uzumaki knew exactly what he was implying.

"No... I won't let you... have your way with... the one I l...AAGGHH!", the bones in Naruto's body begin to break from the weight of three of the seven ninja.

_No, Naruto..._

"STOP YOU DISGUSTING FREAKS! Get off of him... Please...", the Uchiha Kunoichi begged with a single tear streaming down her face.

"I want you both to remember this. You RUINED our favorite place. This will cost something that you can never have back...", five of them approached the girl with drool seeping out of their mouths.

"STOP! No..."

She felt helpless, seeing these men surrounding her, the feeling suffocating. Hopelessness as the one area she stayed innocent in was going to be taken away from her. She felt a fear no fictional monster can match, one of real monsters. The blonde's raspy voice was muffled from the noise being made near him. This was a defining moment for Naruto. For once in his life, he felt total defeat; his lowest low. Everything that could have been good, the remnant of any semblance of life being more than just breathing and existing was being torn away from them. Except, this would end, before it could start.

"What?", a huge arm made of stone swung and slammed the five shinobi; before they even laid a finger on the battered Uchiha.

"Kurotsuchi! Akatsuchi! Don't you dare get in our way!", the group of corrupted shinobi looked angered.

"So you show your true colors now... What your doing, and what you've done, is downright sick and deplorable! And to think I call you people my comrades... You traitors!", the sole female of the group of the Iwagakure patrol retorted.

"Shut up! Your grandpa is leading this nation down into a pit it will never recover from. How could you blame us for turning to crime?"

"And you think doing something like that gives you a valid excuse to do that? You people are scum!", yelled out Akatsuchi, the male objecting to the group of disgraced shinobi.

They continued to argue while having an all out brawl. The short haired kunoichi stood her ground against her turncoat comrades with her still loyal partner.

"Why...?", the Uchiha heiress gasped out.

"You risked your life to save that girl. And hey...", kunais and jutsus clash; interrupting the statement the kunoichi was trying to say.

"There's nothing you could've done that could warrant them for trying to harm you in that way", the fighting intensifies as now this was her only chance to interject her main point.

"Go! I don't have any more patience..."

Sasuke still shaking from using what was left of her energy, did what she could to crawl to Naruto; who had been recently lost consciousness. The river below was their only chance to escape. It was going to be rough, but this is the only possible way. The raven began to drag and roll with the out cold jinjuriki and made one final push for the both of them to fall into the water.

* * *

Four ninja move through the rough landscape. One of them throughout the entire journey was anxious inside and out. Hinata couldn't relax. Her mind fixated on the objective. She was rattled and seemed like a nervous wreck; making her teammates for the mission question if it was alright to have her volunteer.

"Hinata, you need to remember to eat.", Kiba suggested to the stoic Hyuga.

"Hey! How dare you steal my line!", Chou angry that her catchphrase was used by the Inuzuka.

"You on the other hand, need to eat less..."

"Hey! Never, ever, say that to a woman!", she said bitterly. She did have a valid point though.

"Thanks for the advice then. I always learn something new everyday.", the dog boy looks at his K-9 companion next to him.

"Akamaru, doing fine bud?", he scratches the back of his ear which is a spot dogs' like. He ends up jumping on his master and licks his face.

"Ah dude, stop!", he demanded both happily and annoyed.

"I would appreciate if everyone can remain on task.", Yamato said sternly, using his trademarked 'terror face'. This prompted a reaction from Kiba, Akamaru, and Chou; one of forceful obedience.

_The Hyuga girl... She's taking Naruto's disappearance harder than everyone else..._

The group noticed her walking ahead of everyone else; like none of what occurred even happened. She activated her Byakugan frequently, possibly causing harm to her body with the unhealthy amounts of chakra she would use. Kiba seemed unsettled by this and approached the shaking Hyuga by placing a hand on her shoulder. This only made things worse as she shot him a nasty glare; causing him to flinch slightly. Yamato, Chou, and Kiba just looked at her as she walks backwards with her head held down. Like the flip of a dime, she rushed off into the background.

"Hinata!", the unit chases down their unruly teammate.

* * *

Lightning and wind clashed, purple and white mixed, and a blackened orb parts the waters of an iconic landmark. It contained two ninja's from the same land, but on opposing sides. Sasuke saw Naruto in his mutated fox form, fangs, claws, and blood red fox eyes. She herself had a grotesque form as a result from her curse seal. There he was. All he was able to do was scratch her headband. This was it. That was his highest extent to attempt to finish the fight. This was her chance to end the obstacle; for her to be free to pursue great powers for her goals. Before she could her lethal attack through the jinjuriki's chest, her heart skipped a beat. The signal from her body was deliberate. Instead of her hand bearing a lethal position, it turned into a fist instead and the raven's fist smashed into his stomach with extreme force.

It was over.

One laid on the ground while the other stood. The only noise that was present was the rain. The Uchiha stared at the motionless Uzumaki. There he was, he was vulnerable. She could pull out a kunai and just end him right there. She would do it with no hesitation if this was the way of avenging her clan's genocide. But her body betrayed her. She couldn't. Not him. He was important to her, but she had one goal. Her priorities still solid. Sasuke walked up to Naruto's unconscious body. She knelt down, looking onto his smooth face which had a saddened look. This would be the last time she could ever see him again. The mere thought of leaving him forever had something complex that could not be limited to a single emotion. The thoughts nearly crippled her rationality, but she had to retake control. She parted her long hair as she kissed the blonde's birthmarked face. This was the only thing she could do for him, before she walked away. It only took one blink...

Her arms were extended on a rocky surface. Sasuke's mind was jumbled. Beyond the memories, beyond the trauma, beyond her endurance. The raven tried to find the pieces in her shattered mind. The Uchiha Kunoichi looked around. Something very important was missing.

_No... Where is he? That idiot..._

Something from her key was missing, not supplies, not weapons, or any provision could give her a piece of mind. It had been that loud blonde young man that persisted in being by her side. She was alone again, something she was used to. Sasuke would normally be unaffected by such a frivolous thing such as company, even downright frown upon such a thing. But his absence was like a deafening silence. This was out of her hands. Whether for better or for worse. Just like how she was spared from being violated in the worst way possible, just like how she was spared from her body being a vessel for Orochimaru, and just like how she was spared from her clan's massacre. She didn't and possibly will never understand how the cards of fate worked well in her favor, in addition to causing her such misfortune.

* * *

The jinjuriki struggled to stand but was able to. Before he walked away from the flowing river, he plunges his face into the water; sucking the life giving liquid into his dry esophagus. Naruto panted for breath after consuming the water too quickly. A hollow feeling struck him; she was no where in sight.

"SASUKE! SASUKE!"

It was little use. Nothing happened. Even the stubborn blonde had some sensibility. But he's unaware at how long this will last. Insanity is doing something over and over expecting the same result. Something Naruto has always contained inside of him. His strength starts to return as he doesn't even stop to think or strategies. He will rush into this problem and expect to come through somehow.

_I'm going to find you again... Nothing will separate us. Not anymore. No thugs, no nation, not even the universe can stop me._

* * *

"Pein told us this would be are target.", a masked figure says.

"Our brother Zetsu tells us that we need to be careful... Fuck that. The one I worship will bestow to me the greatest power. I'll obliterate them into nothing!"

"You zealous imbecile! You'll jeopardize the mission all because you want to satisfy that non-existent god you worship."

"If only you pricks understood, haha, if only you understood..."

**End...**

* * *

Well, finally got this chapter out. Thanks for the support people! XD I have over a hundred favorites and followers for this story and nearing 10,000 views. If you possibly have questions about this fic, send me a message and I might reply back. Thanks again! =)


	8. Surfacing

**Surfacing...**

Four Konoha ninja were hot on the trail for the two wanted rouge ninjas. They were motivated both by the fact that this was someone that was their friend, and the fact that they didn't want to know what would happen to them if he was captured by a more sinister entity.

"Okay, everyone halt!", Yamato commanded.

"Wow, I never thought we'd stop", the tired Akamichi commented.

"Oh God, that did a number on me...", the scent specialist of the team announced.

The only one that didn't make a single sound was Hinata. One could say she wasn't much of a talker, but this was an unusual silence that emanated from her. She isn't doing much to communicate with the team which is proving to be a possible hindrance. But at the same time, her skills and determination for the mission's importance is why she's there in the first place. The small unit looked around for any signs of abnormal activity while their sensei reported back to North Squad.

"North Squad, this is South Squad. We haven't encountered Naruto or Sasuke yet. However, we have found evidence of them being within the region we are searching in. We will recommence the search in five minutes."

"Good report, we will move into locations and have ANBU on standby if anything goes ary.", Kakashi said through the speaker.

"Okay.", the Mokton user ceased the radio use after relaying intel.

"We need to continue.", Hinata abruptly announced.

"Hyuga-chan, we need to-."

"YOU KNOW WHAT? I'LL SEARCH FOR HIM ALONE THEN!", the normally shy girl acted out of character. Everyone gasped at the backlash they received. Her erratic behavior was now starting to be dangerous to the mission.

_I have to get to him. Afterall..._

(FLASHBACK)

Hinata was sitting down and having tea with her heiress sister Hinabi. It wasn't everyday she was able to just have the ability to have bonding time with her younger sister.

"So, inquire me Onee-chan. How is your crush doing?", the Hyuga heiress asked her older sister.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Of course! Who else would it be? Unless you have another pair of eyes placed on you."

"Well... I", Hinata did her signature touching her index fingers together routine whenever talking about a certain boy.

"I was able to give him chocolates..."

"So you've finally taken the initiative! Unfortunately, you couldn't have picked someone more denser...", Hinabi looked slightly forlorn, but concealed it enough for her older sister to not take notice.

"Well... He was happy... He ate them all infront of me!", Hinata contained a few chuckles.

"Hinata, what do you think should be done to see whether he likes you back or not?"

The shy purple hair girl looked thoughtful for a minute. She tried to comprehend how she was going to make her feelings known to the one that was on her mind often. Throwing hints to someone so oblivious doesn't make anything any easier. Hinata had to be more forward despite it being a challenge for her. Ultimately, that was what she determined.

"M-maybe, I can just ask him out.", the Hyuga blushed slightly harder than before.

Since she took the first step in her quest for her love, her sister was ready to assist her until she can take over the rest.

* * *

Naruto had one priority: find the raven haired kunoichi. Nothing mitigated the mind of the young Uzumaki. He searched far and wide with a zeal unmatched by most. Being separated from her a third time gave him the worst anxiety. Immediately, defeatist thoughts came into his head.

_You were too weak. _

_You couldn't protect her._

_Throw in the towel. This is what your selfish desires get._

Tuning the voices that sound much like his own proved to be more difficult as time went on. The jinjuriki only had one reason to press on. But was all of this worth it? All the people he abandoned. All the people he hurt. All the people he killed. Some of them undeserving of their ends. There's got to be an end.

"No more! I have to keep moving.", Naruto said in a mono toned voice.

The Uzumaki's determination became the energy that moved him. He needed to find her. The jinjuriki had to think hard and act fast.

_She's somewhere! Where could've the currents taken her? She could be either Northwest of here or possibly further south of the river. Agh... If I go back up, I would risk more patrols and search parties, but I can fast track down the river if I need to escape. But if she's south, it'll be impossible to find her. DAMMIT! GODDAMNIT!_

The teen was beyond stressed. Taking a gamble like this was not his forte; that belongs to Tsunade. He had to act. Procrastination would leave him without options and time.

"Just go. I'll make myself go..."

Naruto went. He had to move. Lying to himself thinking that she's going to somehow appear in a random area was the only thing he could do for himself.

* * *

The raven found herself in a ditch covered by a canopy of trees. She surmised that she was south of Iwagakure territory and possibly close to the border of Kusegakure or Amegakure. Sasuke remembered acquiring intelligence from Orochimaru when under his allegiance. She knew that their headquarters were inside the mysterious Amegakure village. However, the raven knew that infiltration would be extremely difficult in this particular; even for a highly skilled rouge ninja like herself.

_Wait, what about him?_

"No.", the Uchiha heiress looked forward. She saw the river from a distance opening up into a lake with a lower lying terrain. The village, the one that houses her arch-enemy: once considered family was not at a far distance. But it wasn't meant to be right now.

The raven cocked her head back for a few seconds. Her heart dropped. She knew what to do. He wasn't there. He just dragged her down. She was faster alone. She didn't need him. It was meant to be this way.

_Time to leave..._

Sasuke decided to go west and not directly into the village filled with many high rises. With each step she took, images of all the times she spent with the blonde ramen eating boy circulated. The Uchiha knew her mind would not be put at ease. She remembered her life's mission and filled her head with the images of mutilated bodies of her beloved clan members that were taken far too soon from the world. Her unfiltered mind caused her to sweat as she staggers to wherever she needed to go.

Was there any gain to get this far?

Was there any plan?

Was there any answer?

The internalized agony Sasuke held inside was surfacing. Her ability to make rational decisions began to slowly cease. Then she couldn't forget him. The images of the boy enveloped the darker memories contained inside until it all disappeared. The Uchiha's rationale was non-existent.

_I don't want to be alone anymore!_

In that moment, she had forgotten about avenging her clan. She had forgotten about Itachi. The only thing on her mind was Naruto and her unknowingly false sense of guilt. The Uchiha rushed back up North at full speed.

* * *

Naruto kept leaping from mineral pillars of varying heights. It all looked the same in every direction. He was in denial about being lost, but he knew soon enough that rationale would return to him. The blonde jinjuriki always relied on his insanity to get out of situations. But the thoughts weighed him down, he stumbles and slides down into a pit, crashing onto his sides.

And there it was. The realization of what caused him to stop right in his tracks. This hollow feeling he felt. Something Naruto has never truly felt, despair.

_It's over... I'm all alone. I lost all my friends, the people of the village, and the heart that I broke... What's the point of going on? I'm a criminal now. I've killed people that didn't deserved to die, I abandoned the village I dreamed of being the leader of, and instead of saving that little girl, I froze because she called me a monster, maybe that's all that I am. I should just finish myself here..._

The Uzumaki saw a jagged stone. He knew that if he can just shove the stone into his neck, it would end his life in a few short minutes. The jinjuriki's hand quaked as he held the tool that would aid his suicide. He positioned himself for the stone to penetrate around the middle of his neck. With a swift motion... He threw it against the walls of the cavern as it splinted into many shards.

"Dammit! I don't even have the dignity for making myself for my crimes."

Naruto wept. He didn't want any of this to turn out this way. Even at his lowest low, he never thought that there was no exit. This was the first time that he truly felt pathetic and weak. It was out of his character to be suicidal. The renegade shinobi slumped himself against the wall, losing his will to move. His eyes blinked until the sky changed colors.

* * *

It was twilight. The sky had a hint of red as it was enveloped by the dark blue known as the night. The blonde drearily awake from an uncomfortable slumber. He blinked his dry eyes as everything was dark except the holes in the ceiling of the landscape around him. He looked down the tunnel noticing how dry and barren everything is. Dry minus the fact that he hears the sound of a water dropplet. This made the teen curious as now something so simple compelled him to move. Right now, these small steps where what he needed to get his feet on the ground.

* * *

Sasuke now was in a hybrid type of landmass where there where smaller stone pillars, but the land contained vegetation and even waterfalls, although southwards the land was more flat. The Uchiha heiress was in a unfamiliar area, but she atleast knows she's around the southern border of Iwagakure.

_I have to find that idiot! He's not safe right now._

The kunoichi wished she still had her maps and equipment, but whenever that fails, improvising is the only way. Sasuke carved a map onto the stone. The wall now had a river in a zigzag forming into an inlet engraved onto it. To the West and North of the river, the Uchiha scribbled in crude looking mountains. With simple deduction, the raven knew that Naruto knew that he would be going in one of two directions: South or West. As she was planning to move, a barrage of kunai's and shurikens impacted as she narrowly escaped.

"Uchiha!", the voice sounded feminine in nature.

Sasuke left herself vulnerable as the other kunoichi pulled out a kunai and began to slash against her katana. As the dust cleared, the figure appeared to be Hinata Hyuga.

"Give... Him... Back...", the byakugan user whispered.

"What are you talking about?", the Uchiha yelled in a confused manner.

"GIVE HIM BACK!, her byakugan flared up as she charged in. The Uchiha heiress was preparing to engage the Hyuuga in combat.

**END...**

* * *

I am sorry that I have not been on top of this like I should have. My life has been turbulent for the past few months and has drained interest in making this. However, I wanted to at least give everyone here an early Christmas present by at least uploading another chapter. I know there are better chapters that I have written in the past but please understand that I have a plot for the story and I know exactly how I want to end it. Thank you all for the support because that is the reason I feel bad for not putting anything out. Anyway, Happy Holidays for yall out there. =)


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